Re: MAX Machine PLA

From: Oldcomputr <oldcomputr_at_gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2016 12:45:58 +0200
Message-Id: <B8C4616B-17D1-4F6C-BC41-C9B032456EC9@gmail.com>
In the Feb 1982 issue of "Commodore - The Microcomputing Magazine" the Ultimax is cited quite often together with the 64.

This is one of the articles (archive.org OCRed), and shows how Commodore would have positioned the Ultimax (vs Atari 2600 and Intellivision... but wasn't that the VIC 20? Shatner's commercials explicitly told that) and the C64 (vs Atari 800 and Apple II):

Commodore to Offer Widest Range of Home Computers in the Industry with 
Addition of Two New Programmable Color Entries in Spring '82 

Commodore Business Machines, Inc., will offer the widest 
range of home computers in the industry starting late Spring 
when it plans to introduce two new programmable/color 
low-priced home computers to compliment its line which 
currently is flagshipped by the VIC 20*®. 

According to Kit Spencer, Commodore's vice presi- 
dent-marketing, the two new home computers — the "COM- 
MODORE ULTIMAX" arid the "COMMODORE-64"— 
will play video games, compute, and even synthesize music 
through hook ups with stereo and hi-fi systems! They were 
demonstrated in prototype form for the first time at the 
Consumer Electronics Trade Show in Las Vegas. 

"These two new exciting home computers will join the VIC 
20 in offering the public capabilities unmatched for the 
price,'* said Spencer. 

The COMMODORE ULTIMAX, which is planned to be 
introduced at a suggested retail price of $149,95, is a 
programmable color computer which will compete head-on 
at the retail level with less sophisticated video games such as 
the ATARI VCS and INTELLIVISION which do not offer 
computing capability. Easily connected to any color TV set, 
the COMMODOREULTIMAX will feature a flat membrane 
keyboard, programming in BASIC, and use both cartridges 
and cassettes for aames, programming, and music synthesis. 
The COMMODORE ULTIMAX will be compatible with 
joysticks, paddles, and light pens, use the VIC Datasette tape 
recorder for program storage, and serve as a sound generator 
for polyphonic tones and for music synthesis. 

The COMMODORE-64, which will have a suggested retail 
price of $595.00, is an advanced home computer which will 
compete with ATARI 800 and the APPLE 11+ among others. 
It is programmable with a CP/M compatible option, and has 
64K of memory, well in excess of the competition in its 
immediate price range. 

The COMMODORE-64 will have a full 66-key typewriter 
keyboard with upper and lower text capability, function 
keys, graphic characters, '•.smart" peripheral devices, a 
cartridge game slot, and game controllers. Its audio 
capabilities will include sound generation, polyphonic tones, 
music synthesization, and hi-fi output. 


Full text:
https://archive.org/stream/Commodore_MicroComputer_Issue_16_1982_Feb/Commodore_MicroComputer_Issue_16_1982_Feb_djvu.txt

Online viewer:
https://archive.org/stream/Commodore_MicroComputer_Issue_16_1982_Feb/#page/n0/mode/2up


--
Giacomo M. Vernoni
www.oldcomputr.com




> On 03 Aug 2016, at 00:18, Anders Carlsson <anders.carlsson@sfks.se> wrote:
> 
> For those who might be interested, I found another publication Amusement Life in which there is an advertisement in the very first issue, January 1983.
> 
> https://archive.org/stream/amusement-life-magazine-01#page/n92/mode/2up
> 
> According to historical exchange rate data for January 1983, 1 USD = 230-240 yen at that time.
> 
> MAX Machine: 34800 yen ~= 165 USD
> Commodore 64: 99800 yen ~= 425 USD
> VIC-1001: 49800 yen ~= 210 USD
> 
> This could be compared with advertisements in COMPUTE! January 1983:Commodore 64 RRP = 595 USD
> C64 advertisements = 525 USD (*)
> VIC-20 advertisements = 169 - 199 USD
> 
> Of course you can't compare prices across like that, due to different sales taxes and other matters that settles the price, but it seems the Japanese C64 was cheaper than in the US or Europe to begin with. I'm fully aware about the price war that then took place during the spring of 1983 that cut the C64 to $399 or thereabouts, in the mean time that Commodore threw in the towel in Japan due to even more cutthroat pricing wars.
> 
> (*) Actually only a single advertiser dared to print a price for the C64 at that point in time, all the others would ask customers to call for best price. The one that stood out was Tele Soft Inc in Troy, MI.
> 
> Best regards
> 
> Anders Carlsson
> 
> 
>      Message was sent through the cbm-hackers mailing list


       Message was sent through the cbm-hackers mailing list
Received on 2016-09-04 11:00:09

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